PHOTO OF THE MONTH – Washington DC, 25 May 2021: Gianna Floyd, George Floyd’s daughter, walks out of the West Wing door at the White House after meeting with President Biden
Dear friend,
I’m glad to write on this date, 4th of June, to honor the people who dared to dream 32 years ago for a democratic China. We must never forget what happened at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on that day.
Last month had a special taste for us as the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the Report “Media freedom, public trust and the citizens’ right to know” of which Senator Rampi is General Rapporteur. This first major result has been possible thanks to the invaluable contribution of our legal experts and the organizations and associations that have joined us over the last few years. The news came on 21 May, two days after the 5th anniversary of the passing of Marco Pannella, with whom in 2014 we launched the initiative for the recognition of the right to know as a human and civil right. The next crucial step will be the final adoption on 22 June in the plenary session.
On the same issue, on 18 May, Matteo Angioli met Belgian federal MP Samuel Cogolati who introduced a motion for a resolution in Parliament urging the government to recognize the crimes committed by Chinese authorities against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang. In addition, on 26 May, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy adopted a resolution condemning the human rights abuses against the Uyghur people.
On another front, on 12 May, a group of 36 organizations for human rights, including the Global Committee, sent an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to draw her attention to the urgent need for public reporting on the human rights situation across China, notably in the Uyghur and Tibetan regions and Hong Kong.
On 27 May, our honorary member Sam Rainsy had an article published on The Diplomat on the extremely risky dependence on China, especially for countries like Cambodia. As he puts it: “History shows us that China’s support will not always be available to Cambodia. Why should it be? Beijing has its own changing interests and agendas. China supported the Pol Pot regime which Hun Sen helped to take power and implement genocide as a military commander in the 1970s.”
Last but not least, we are thrilled to announce that the Global Committee for the Rule of Law “Marco Pannella” formed a partnership with the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) in order to extend and strengthen our common activities in the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
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Asia Jane Leigh
Researcher